Months had passed and just as [Y/N] Jones predicted, her memory of the Whyte Wyrm did not do the actual bar justice. She forgot about the scratch in the red paint on the door, the exact shade of blue the lights dangling from the sign above were, and the rhythm at which the neon bar sign flickered at. The music from inside the bar slithered through the cracks of the door and the walls and out into the crisp night air. No one knew she was back in Riverdale yet; she wanted to make it a surprise but as she stood on the steps outside of the Whyte Wyrm, [Y/N] couldnât help but find herself realizing how bad of an idea that was.
Sweet Peaâs face made itself clear in her mind and to know that he was behind the doors in front of her made her heartbeat quicken and her palms sweat. Although it had only been a few months, a lot had changed. [Y/N] was able to tell, not just from Jugheadâs weekly updates, but from Sweet Peaâs lack thereof. When [Y/N] first got to Toledo, the two spoke consistently until they didnât. [Y/N] didnât push it, realizing quickly that Sweet Pea and Josie must have taken it upon themselves to start their relationship.
Whatever [Y/N] was feeling didnât matter anymore. At least not to Sweet Pea; it couldnât. He lived his life just as she lived hers while she was away and she couldnât be mad at him for that, because that was what they mutually agreed on.
When the door to the bar opened, [Y/N]âs breath caught in her throat but she settled when she realized it was just another Serpent exiting the bar.
âYou cominâ in or what, kid?â his gruff voice questioned as he held the door open for her.
âYeah,â [Y/N] forced out before she could convince herself otherwise. She rushed up the steps and entered the bar, submerging herself suddenly into the sparse crowd, the music, and the smell of alcohol.
Instinctually, her eyes scanned the dimly lit area, in search of Sweet Pea. She saw many familiar faces; Toni, Cheryl, even Jughead, and as excited as she was to see them, she had to find Sweet Pea. Maybe he was out with Josie right now. The thought sent a sharp pain through her chest, but she continued her search nonetheless.
When another Serpent stood from his seat, [Y/N] moved out of the way to let him by.
And there he was. Over by the pool tables of course. He was with Fangs, the both of them laughing to one another as they spoke. And there it was again, that romantic red hue that seemed to follow him around wherever he went. [Y/N] didnât realize the smile pulling at her own lips as she saw Sweet Pea grinning fantastically. It was almost as if she was seeing him for the first time: confident demeanour, electric smile, and a magnetic aura. She was falling in love with him all over again.
When she did catch herself smiling, [Y/N] found herself second guessing her decision to come back. Should she not have come back to find Sweet Pea? Maybe he was happy now - happier than he ever could have been with her. He looked well and considering the two hadnât spoken in so long, she couldnât help but find herself becoming more and more convinced that she should be anywhere but here right now.
However, before she could turn around and leave, Sweet Pea had looked over at just the right time to catch her looking at him. [Y/N] watched Sweet Peaâs frame tense suddenly as his grin was now replaced by a frown of confusion or maybe sadness or anger. [Y/N] couldnât pinpoint it. All she knew was there was no turning back now. She noticed Fangsâs ramblings come to a halt at Sweet Peaâs sudden rigidity before he turned to look at her.
Toniâs voice caught [Y/N]âs attention as it called out her name. Turning to the source of the sound, [Y/N] found Toni, Cheryl and Jughead sitting at the bar with wide eyes and even wider grins. Simultaneously, the three of them sprung from their seats and over to her, enveloping [Y/N] in a hug before she could realize what was happening.
âWhy didnât you tell us you were coming back?â Jughead asked as his sister hugged him back.
[Y/N] pulled away, looking to Jughead but not oblivious to the movement out of the corner of her eye as Fangs and Sweet Pea approached her, âI just wanted to make it a surprise,â she shrugged with a grin before turning to Fangs. âHey,â she greeted, extending her arms to envelop her friend in a hug.
âHow was Toledo?â Fangs asked her, hugging her back.
âIt sure kept me busy,â [Y/N] chuckled as she pulled away.
Hesitantly, her eyes glanced over to Sweet Pea whose face was still a mixture of confusion, sadness and possibly anger. At this proximity, [Y/N] noticed the lack of dark circles around Sweet Peaâs eyes and the light that still burned bright within them; a remanent of the fiery passion they held on their last night together. His lips that were once swollen and stained with her kisses were now their usual shade of pale pink.
âListen,â Jughead broke the silence. âHow about I go get dad so you can say hello and we can all spend the night catching up.â
[Y/N] tore her gaze away from Sweet Peaâs and forced a tight-lipped smile to her face, âSounds good Jug.â
It was about two in the morning when [Y/N] and the rest of the Serpents had began to run out of things to say. She, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Toni, Cheryl and Jughead were the last ones in the bar until Toni and Cheryl decided to call it a night. Fangs and Jughead soon followed their lead and all that was left behind was bartender, the running jukebox, Sweet Pea and [Y/N]. The two sat in a stiff, uncomfortable silence. There were so many things to say but what would happen if they were actually put into the universe?
[Y/N] used the bottle cap in her hand to gently tap the beat of the song coming from the jukebox against the bar. She tried to think of a place to start but she couldnât find it; some things were too important to lead with and others had the opposite problem. [Y/N] gritted her teeth momentarily out of frustration. After months of wondering what Sweet Pea was doing - if he was with Josie or not, if he was happy and okay without [Y/N], if he was miserable without her - only to find herself sitting a few feet away from him unable to say anything seemed almost like a joke.
The creaking of Sweet Peaâs barstool made [Y/N] halt her movements. She watched out of the corner of her eye as best as she could but he was quickly out of her peripherals. [Y/N] let out an aggravated sigh, allowing her mind to shut down as she spun around in her chair. However, Sweet Pea stood at one of the pool tables, holding a pool cue. [Y/N]âs heart stopped, not expecting to see him there but it started back up tenfold when he looked over to her.
âWanna play a game?â he nodded towards the pool table in front of him.
Silently, [Y/N] nodded and stood up from her seat. She took the pool cue that Sweet Pea had extended out to her before she watched him set up the game. She watched his hands gather the billiards balls and place them into the rack neatly. She found herself wondering what his hands had been doing in her absence. Had they been filling the void she left behind? Have they been waiting for her specifically to fill that void?
âYou can go first,â Sweet Peaâs voice caressed the silence.
[Y/N]âs eyes flashed up to Sweet Peaâs, pulling herself out of her thoughts. âYeah, okay,â she nodded, taking her position. The smacking of the white ball hitting the cluster at the other end of the table took over filling the silence but only for a moment.
When it was Sweet Peaâs turn to hit, [Y/N] watched him position himself to take a shot. âHow have you been?â she couldnât help but ask. âYou look well and we havenât talked in a long time.â
Sweet Pea took his shot, skillfully sinking three of the balls. He shrugged as he sauntered around the table, getting into position there now. âPretty much the same,â he replied. âNot much has changed,â he added before taking a shot. Sweet Pea stood up straight, looking towards [Y/N], âHow was Toledo?â
His intense stare made [Y/N] look away before she began to round the table for her next shot. âLonely,â she admitted as she leaned across the table, aiming her pool cue. âBut there was enough there to keep me busy so it wasnât too bad,â she finished before taking her shot. When the ball sunk, she stood up straight, finding a new position to hit from. The two remained quiet as she aimed but missed her shot.
[Y/N] was dying to get some kind of confirmation on Sweet Pea and Josie but she didnât know if sheâd be able to take it if he told her something she wasnât ready to hear. âHow have the Serpents been?â she asked, cringing inwardly after doing so. âI just hope my dad hasnât been overworking you guys to make up for my absence,â she added.
Sweet Pea shrugged, âFP was all right,â he leaned down, aiming his pool cue, âJughead on the other handâŠâ he trailed off, a smirk playing on his lips.
[Y/N] let out a small laugh at that as Sweet Pea took his shot. âI wouldnât expect anything less from him,â she admitted. Her smile faltered when her mind fled back to Josie. âAll that extra work must have been hard for you and Josie,â she said. âProbably not giving you two enough time together.â
Any trace of playfulness on Sweet Peaâs face was gone now as he straightened up. âIt was,â he nodded towards her, breaking her heart just like that. âBut I donât think itâs gonna be much of a problem now.â
[Y/N]âs ears perked up at this. âWhy not?â she asked, completely forgetting about the game, let alone that it was her turn to shoot.
Sweet Pea sighed, turning his head to the right to look at her, âThings didnât work out between us.â
[Y/N] nodded, silently begging her rapidly beating heart to remain still for a moment. âIâm sorry about that.â
Sweet Pea said nothing, only shaking his head. [Y/N] remembered the words he told her the night she left, telling her to find him and see what could be done with their current circumstances. âItâs your turn,â was all he said to her. [Y/N] nodded, reluctantly turning towards the pool table again. âSo Toledo was keeping you busy,â Sweet Pea commented and [Y/N] nodded again. âAnything in particular keeping you busy?â
[Y/N]âs focus was broken momentarily from the pool table at Sweet Peaâs words, but she forced herself to regain focus. âWhat do you mean by that?â she forced out before taking a shot, watching the balls roll in multiple directions lazily.
âDid you make any new friends?â
[Y/N] stood up straight, glancing to Sweet Pea who was watching her intently. âOnly a couple,â she shrugged. âBut none of them were as special as the Serpents here - they kind of sucked in comparison to you guys.â
[Y/N] watched as Sweet Pea bit back a smile, limiting it to a smirk. âYou need to raise your standards,â he quipped, walking past her to take his shot. [Y/N] watched as he sunk the final ball into the pocket, standing up with that same smirk on his lips. âI win.â
Her eyes fell to the pool table, realizing just how little she had been paying attention to it. She also realized that it meant their time now had disappeared right before her and she had barely gotten any direction on what Sweet Pea wanted her to do now that she was back. âWas it any surprise that you would?â [Y/N] smirked, quirking a brow towards him.
âI guess not,â he replied cockily before reaching into the pockets of the table to retrieve the balls. âIt wasnât a walk in the park without you either,â he admitted into the quiet atmosphere.
[Y/N] felt happiness push the corners of her mouth up but she forced them to stay down. âYou think?â she leaned against the pool table next to him.
âYeah,â he admitted, avoiding her gaze.
âWhat are we doing here Pea?â she asked softly. âWhat are we doing now that I held up my end of the deal by coming back here and finding you?â
Sweet Pea looked to [Y/N], his gaze lingering on her momentarily as he examined the features that he wanted to believe he forgot but he just couldnât. He let his palms rest against the edge of the pool table as he let out a deep sigh, âIâm not with Josie,â he stated, âNot anymore.â
âAnd I didnât meet anyone in Toledo,â [Y/N] assured him. âI didnât want to because you were all I thought about when I was there. I wanted to fix everything as soon as possible down there just so I could get back to you before I was too late,â she expressed without a filter. Her hand had a mind of its own as it reached up and rested against Sweet Peaâs shoulder. âAm I too late?â her voice was a whisper.
Sweet Pea turned his head towards her before, in one swift movement, his body turned so he could envelop her in a kiss. It was almost like they had rehearsed it, the way their bodies moved in sync and the way they moulded together couldâve fooled any onlooker that the universe crafted them specifically for one another.
Once they broke from the kiss, their laboured breathing was the only important sound in the room at that moment. Sweet Pea cupped [Y/N]âs face, leaning down to kiss her again, but letting her know that she could never be too late just before their lips met once again.